First of all this is not a post to slam all of the meat steel guitar products. Like lighter weight amps and speaker cabinets and speakers. I will be honest, at first and may be wrong. The smaller and lighter gear would sacrifice the tone on the steel. Well, to make along one short it has not.
The only thing I lament is, I just wish they would have had this gear out, when I started out 40 years ago. Instead years of aching backs to all of us.

Godfrey Arthur

From:The Bronx via the Philippines

Posted 20 Apr 2019 3:50 amRe: Smaller And Lighter Steel Products

Tommy Shown wrote:

I just wish they would have had this gear out, when I started out 40 years ago. Instead years of aching backs to all of us.

Good one Tommy. Ever wonder where the Hammond organ got its start?

From the Cahill Telharmonium.

Circa 1896.

One of those torpedo looking things is a single note tone generator. Above, the gear that created a single note. Now how many notes do you need?

This was the keyboard part of it.

This whole thing sat in a warehouse large enough to house the entire system.

Packing up your seat case after the gig?

I think we were lucky we could carry what we did 40 years ago.

Today's male can't do this.
The Telharmonium of the 1930's to the 1970's.

And still used today in the 21st.

The single note tone generator gear now looks like this;

And today's youngins' almost able to do this:
21st century Telharmonium

You've got your mother in a whirl
She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl...

D.Bowie

But yeah I grieve with ya.

Steel rigs that are easy to move.

Speaker cabinets will still be large-ish to move around even if you get the amps down in size.

But it will get lighter in the future.

Carbon fiber psg. MSA Millennium is a start.

Might be better to invent anti-gravity devices, then we can still own and use the vintage stuff without the back problems.

Last edited by Godfrey Arthur on 20 Apr 2019 9:02 am; edited 1 time in total

Donny Hinson

From:Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Posted 20 Apr 2019 6:41 am

I don't think that lightweight gear sacrifices anything, as far as sound goes. Guitars can be made lighter, it's just a matter of cost. Titanium would be best for pull rods, pedal rods, legs, and cross rods. It's lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel, and it doesn't rust or corrode. But it's hard to machine, and pretty expensive.

I've yet to figure out why small combo amps are made with 3/4" wood instead of 1/2" or 5/8". I'm a big fan of Neo speakers, and I think they can be made to sound identical to alnico or ceramic ones. But I can't understand why some Neo speakers still use those big cast-aluminum baskets, or why "steel guitar speakers" cost so much more than "guitar speakers".

Oh, and another thing...

Why don't we have tapped voice coils so a speaker could be used at 4-ohms and 8-ohms?

Godfrey Arthur

From:The Bronx via the Philippines

Posted 20 Apr 2019 6:51 am

Donny Hinson wrote:

I've yet to figure out why small combo amps are made with 3/4" wood instead of 1/2" or 5/8".

I agree.

When I made that roadwarrior Leslie I used 1/2 inch (12mm) ply for the sides and top but 3/4 inch (18mm) for the shelves, base and back board.

I think it adds to the sound being thinner 1/2" in places._________________ShoBud The Pro 1
YES it's my REAL NAME!

Bobby D. Jones

From:West Virginia, USA

Posted 20 Apr 2019 10:46 pmSmaller and lighter steel products.

At 75 years old weight sucks. I built a cabinet of 1/2 Birch, for a 15" Eminence EPS-15C. With cover weighs 21 lb. Bought a Evans AH200, In its Gig bag weighs 7lb. It mounts on the side of my seat. A GFI S12 U. in case 49lb. Now to get the weight of my seat down.

Erv Niehaus

From:Litchfield, MN, USA

Posted 21 Apr 2019 5:46 am

Every day I see a lot of people walking around who need to get the weight of their seat down.
Erv

Ross Shafer

From:Petaluma, California

Posted 21 Apr 2019 6:46 am

"Titanium would be best for pull rods, pedal rods, legs, and cross rods. It's lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel, and it doesn't rust or corrode.”

Not trying to be a know it all, and I hope to not ruffle any feathers...but Aluminum is quite a bit lighter than Ti (look up the density numbers if you have doubts about this). Also, there are numerous steels and stainless steels that have higher tensile strength than Ti. There are plenty of different alloys in Ti, Steel and aluminum and all are far from created equal. For instance Pure Titanium has a tensile strength that is around the same as most low grade steels. Heck, 7075, 2024 and other aluminum alloys can have higher tensile strength than many steels.

Ti's calling card is its strength to weight ratio. All the different materials have various physical properties that make them viable (or not) for various uses and all must be taken into consideration. Tensile strength is just one of them.

Sorry for straying so far from Electronics. Happy Easter!

Last edited by Ross Shafer on 21 Apr 2019 2:57 pm; edited 1 time in total

John Lacey

From:Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada

Posted 21 Apr 2019 7:12 am

Had an equipment shootout at Will Bird’s Quonset shed last Sunday and invited Dwayne Neufeld over to have some steel fun with us. Dwayne’s a picker from Didsbury north of Calgary and an airline mechanic. Having various strain injuries to his arms and hands he’s been pursuing the lighter road lately. He brought over a brand new Justice Pro-lite SD10, a Gallien-Kruger MB500, 2 custom made cabs loaded with an EPSc and a double-T speaker in them along with various other accessories. Oh yeah, a Telonics FP100 volume pedal. Needless to say, Will and I were delighted to have a gander and a tryout of all this cool new gear. The Justice was liteweight and toneful, seemed well set up though I would have changed a few minor setup things on it. The kicker of the day for me was the Telonics pedal, making my Zumsteel come alive and sustain forever. I also enjoyed going thru both speaker cabs separately though I didn’t notice tons of difference between them. As always, the litmus test would be on a live gig with a full band to place the steel in the mix. If this is where the future is going, I’m looking forward to it with anticipation!

Patrick Huey

From:Nacogdoches, Texas, USA

Posted 8 May 2019 11:57 pm

I have been a mortician for around 30 years now and I’m used to dealing with uhhhm picking up and moving unwieldy bundles of weight daily and over the last 30 years unlike steel gear these unwieldy bundles have not gotten any lighter over the years. In fact the little 85 pound body from the nursing home that was the norm when I started is a rarity today, so I don’t mind toting two Session 500’s and a double neck pre RP Mullen. Wheels on the amps, wheels on the case, and a collapsible dolly and I get by with no difficulty. It’s all much lighter than what I deal with at work and those amps are almost forty years old and the cabinets are rock solid. That Mullen is the same way. It’s a tank and once it’s set up it ain’t moving lol._________________Pre RP Mullen D10 8/7, Carter S-10 3/4, previous Cougar SD-10 3/4 & GFI S-10 3/2, Peavey Session 500, previous Peavey Nashville 400, Boss DD-5, Hilton Digital Sustain, '88 Les Paul Custom, Fender Stratocaster, Takamine acoustics, Marshall amps, Boss effects, Ibanez Tube Screamer, and it all started with an old cranky worn out Kay acoustic you could slide a Mack truck between the strings and fretboard on!!

I don't mind toting my gear. Hell i'm 66, and wouldn't think of using any certain amp just because of weight. My new Boogie amplifier head weighs 45 pounds alone. I have a collapsible dolly and have absolutly no trouble carry my gear. I carry an amp head {tube}, one sometimes two 12 or 15" speaker cabs, a pedal board, seat, 12 string keyless steel, Les Paul or Tele depending on the gig and accessories duffle bag. In fact i end up helping with the drums, PA speakers, stands, and running cables. I carry as much or more, and set up quicker then most my bandmates. I enjoy gear and wouldn't even consider using one of those low current single tube microamps, or a Kemper type of product because it weighs less i've gone that route. They are quicker to hookup i s'pose. The ease of moving them is nice as well. But i still hear the compressed inherent sound and lack of crisp top end and realism in them. They are just a different animal all together. The modelers just don't do it for me unfortunately. However i do use the light Neodymium speakers, mostly because i like them. But i also have cabs with Celestion 12" Greenbacks, and EV's in them as well. Nope.....i'll tote until i can't any longer.

Erv Niehaus

From:Litchfield, MN, USA

Posted 10 May 2019 7:08 am

George,
I'm with you and I'm 80!
Weight is the least of my considerations when buying a guitar, amp or etc.
I figure when I get to feeble to handle my stuff, I'll just take up the harmonica.
Erv

I hear ya Erv. My goodness Erv, i didn't realize you were that age. Makes me feel like a child. I've been listening to my Dottie Rambo albums all morning. Ya know Erv, i sure miss that sweet lady. What an inspiration she was both musically, and spiritually. Dottie and her family brought joy to my miserable life. Take Care my friend.

Erv Niehaus

From:Litchfield, MN, USA

Posted 10 May 2019 8:35 am

George,
Thank you!
Yes, I've tabbed out all the Dotty Rambo songs I could find.
I was suprised to find that several of her songs were written in conjunction with Jimmy Davis.
Besides being a country singer, Jimmy Davis was also governor of Louisiana twice.
Erv

Charley Paul

From:California, USA

Posted 20 May 2019 4:10 pm

I am on the verge of purchasing a late 60s silverface Twin Reverb. I’m looking for one that has been beat up, but has all the original transformers. My plan is to get it services, and put it into a custom made lightweight pine cabinet from Mather Cabs, and load a couple Weber speakers into it.

I have a 1965 Deluxe Non Reverb that is in one of those cabs.....it sounds killer and the whole thing weighs under 25lbs. I’m figuring I could get the Twin around 40-50 lbs, which would be excellent....